Need HR Advice for a Client? Don’t Google!

We all love Google. We no longer need encyclopaedias,
maps, history or recipe books, or even a wise
old family member who knows the answer to just about everything
(even if they do occasionally make up the answer
on the spot!). No, these days all we need is a device connected
to the internet and the ability to spell
'google' to find everything we need.

Well, almost everything.

If you've ever bought a house, invested in shares, or been
married (or divorced), chances are you
discovered some things still require interaction with a real person
who is an expert in their respective field.
Similarly, the reason your clients turn to you for advice and
support instead of just 'googling' it is because
you know about their business, you care about their success, and
you're a trusted source of reliable
information.

So isn't it amazing that so many small business owners
still 'google' the answers to their HR and employment relations-related questions. They (or you!) search
for hours on line to find answers to questions
like:

• can I cash-out my employee's annual leave?

• is my employee entitled to long service
leave?

• how much do I need to pay my employees?

• How much notice does my employee receive if I dismiss
them?

• Can I withhold an amount from an employee's final
pay?

Your clients probably also read 'whirlpool forums' where
well-meaning (but completely ill-informed) members of the public drop in their own two-cents worth with
answers like 'I'm sure it's allowed, especially
if the employee agrees' or 'I've never heard of that being a
problem before' or 'common sense suggests it
should be fine'.

Unfortunately, 'Anders' posting his 'helpful' response
from Denmark probably isn't completely across
Australia's incredibly detailed and hopelessly complex employment
laws. After all, we are the only country in the
world that has rolled our more than a hundred 'Modern Awards',
along with ten National Employment Standards
(NES) and an Act that is more than 650 pages long!

For example, did you know that in many cases it's unlawful
to cash-out annual leave? And that casuals do
accrue long service leave? Or that your client can be fined $51,000
if they deduct the cost of lost company-owned
property from an employee's final pay?

So just where should you (or your client) get the
information they need to ensure they're managing their employees in full-compliance with Australian employment
laws? There are a few places you can go with (at
least) some degree of confidence:

• Your state or territory's dedicated long service leave
and workplace health and safety agencies

Your other option is to consider a subscription to HR
Advice Online - Australia's only dedicated HR and employment relations service specifically built to make
it easy for accountants, bookkeepers and business advisors to
obtain written answers to all their client's
HR-related questions.